Is it ethical to attend the Emirates Airline festival of literature in Dubai? On a plane?
Photograph: David Wall/Alamy

Why would two book-lovers want to encourage authors and illustrators not to appear at a book festival?

I love books and I love going to book festivals, both as an author and a reader. So it might come as a surprise to learn that I’ve got together with book blogger Zoe Toft to organise the Think Twice Campaign that encourages authors and illustrators to think twice about appearing at a book festival.

Before you think we’ve lost our minds, I should say that we’re only asking authors and illustrators to think twice about going to a particular festival – the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature that is held every year in Dubai. Lots of authors and illustrators we admire and respect attend the festival each year and it seems to be well organised and very enjoyable for everyone involved. So why are we kicking up a fuss about it? Our objection is to the festival’s sponsor, Emirates Airline, part of an environmentally irresponsible industry and owned by a very oppressive government.

Jonathan Emmett: I hope that the Think Twice Campaign will help many authors and illustrators to see through that smokescreen and think twice about going to this particular book festival. Photograph: PR

Generally speaking, we are in favour of companies sponsoring book festivals to help them cover their costs. However it’s important to recognise that both sides benefit from a sponsorship deal. By associating themselves with high-profile, respectable authors and illustrators, Emirates Airline are able to raise their own profile and make themselves appear more respectable. Zoe and I don’t think that a company like Emirates Airline should be regarded as respectable. We think they are quite the opposite. And we’ve given authors and illustrators three good reasons to think that too.

One reason is climate change. While governments are making other industries reduce their CO2 emissions, the aviation industry’s carbon footprint gets bigger and bigger every year. It looked like aviation was finally going to be brought under control at last year’s Climate Change summit in Paris, but at the last minute, they were let off the hook again. Environmental groups have said that the absence of both aviation and shipping from the Paris agreement will make it “close to impossible” to keep global warming beneath the 2ºC level needed to avert climate catastrophe. As the airline that flies the highest number of international kilometres, Emirates Airline’s international flights already generate more CO2 than any other airline and instead of reducing their emissions they have just announced plans to double in size. Does that sound respectable?

A second reason is free speech. The airline is owned by the family of Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai and the book festival’s patron. Dubai is part of a country called the United Arab Emirates or the UAE. Sheikh Mohammed is also the UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister. The UAE government is very different from the UK’s and the Sheikh is more like a king than a UK prime minister. The UAE is not a democratic country, so the Sheikh cannot be voted out in an election, no matter how unpopular he is with his people. Many UAE citizens are very unhappy with the way the country is run. Unfortunately, citizens that dare to criticise the country’s government are arrested and imprisoned for doing so (find out more in this link from Amnesty International). There are currently 67 prisoners serving long sentences just for speaking out in favour of democracy. Does that sound respectable?

The third reason is human rights. If you’re not a rich heterosexual man, you may be treated as a second class citizen – or, worse still, a criminal – by Sheikh Mohammed’s government. Attacks against women are not taken as seriously as they are in the UK and often the victim, rather than the man attacking her, ends up being arrested and imprisoned. Homosexuality is illegal and people can be imprisoned for up to 10 years simply for being gay. People of both sexes working in low paid jobs are not protected by the law in the same way that rich people are. Low paid women are especially badly treated, with many being forced to work long hours with little to eat and no days off. Does that sound respectable?

Zoe and I do have a lot of sympathy for children that might miss out on meeting an author or illustrator as a result of this campaign. However we have more sympathy for the people – children and adults – in the groups whose interests the Think Twice campaign are trying to champion: the women, migrant workers and gay UAE citizens whose human rights are being abused, or the future generations who will have to contend with the life-threatening consequences of climate change.

If authors and illustrators are thinking of cancelling, but are worried about disappointing a young audience, they could offer to Skype with UAE schools. There are lots of tips for authors and illustrators who are new to Skype at virtualauthors.co.uk.

Emirates Airline is an extremely rich company. They use their money to sponsor many other high-profile events and organisations, from football clubs to symphony orchestras. This all helps to create a smokescreen of respectability around a company and a government that is anything but respectable. I hope that the Think Twice Campaign will help many authors and illustrators to see through that smokescreen and think twice about going to this particular book festival.

You can find out more about the Think Twice Campaign at eafolthinktwice.org.uk. What do you think of these ideas? Share you ideas and opinions on Twitter @GdnChildrensBks or by emailing childrens.books@theguardian.com.